RWJF announces scholarships for 52 nursing schools

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced awards to 52 schools of nursing that will comprise the final cohort of RWJF’s prestigious New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program, according to a news release.

For the 2014-2015 academic year, the schools will receive grants to support traditionally underrepresented students who are making a career switch to nursing through an accelerated BSN or MSN program. NCIN is a program of RWJF and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Each NCIN Scholar already has earned a bachelor’s degree in another field, and is making a transition to nursing through an accelerated nursing degree program. The program prepares students to assume the role of RN in 12 to 18 months.

In addition to a $10,000 scholarship, NCIN scholars receive other support to help them meet the demands of an accelerated degree program. All NCIN grantee schools maintain a leadership program and a mentoring program for their scholars, as well as a pre-entry immersion program to assist scholars in learning essential study, test-taking, and other skills needed to succeed in their program of study.

“Nursing and nursing education are at a critical juncture right now, and NCIN’s exemplary approach to supporting nursing schools is helping to strengthen both,” AACN President Eileen Breslin, RN, PhD, FAAN, said in a news release. “NCIN’s creative, innovative and responsive approach to providing grantees with tools to ensure academic success will result in lasting changes at nursing schools nationwide. The NCIN program has truly raised the bar for recruitment, retention, mentoring and leadership development for nursing students from groups underrepresented in nursing.”

Since 2008, the NCIN program has distributed 3,517 scholarships to students at 130 schools of nursing. This year, funding for 400 scholarships was granted. The following schools received grants: Bellarmine University; Boston College; College of St. Scholastica; Columbia University; Duke University; Duquesne University: Edgewood College; Georgia Regents University; Lewis University; Linfield College; Marquette University; Medical University of South Carolina; MidAmerica Nazarene University; Mount Carmel Health System Foundation; Nebraska Methodist; New Jersey City University; New York University; Oregon Health & Science University; Pace University; Quinnipiac University; Rush University Medical Center; Saint Louis University; Samford University; Samuel Merritt University; Seattle University; Seton Hall University; Southern Connecticut State University; Stony Brook Foundation; SUNY Downstate Medical Center; The University of Texas at El Paso; Thomas Edison State College; Thomas Jefferson University; University of Cincinnati; University of Delaware; University of Hawaii at Manoa; University of Maryland, Baltimore; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; University of Miami; University of Michigan, Flint; University of Minnesota; University of Mississippi Medical Center; University of Missouri, Kansas City; University of Pennsylvania; University of Pittsburgh; University of Rochester; University of San Diego; University of South Alabama; University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Valdosta State University; Winston-Salem State University; and Yale University.